City of the Future - 1 week to go

One of the most exciting parts of my job is to see a plan come together and an event take place.

Next Tuesday will see our City of the Future public debate on a better economy for Birmingham take place in the Council House, Birmingham. The number of people registered for it has been rising steadily since the web page went live and we are confident of getting to capacity, so please make sure you book your place if you haven't already.
Last year we did a debate on HS2, which went really well and attracted a lot of attention, but that was a very hot, very controversial issue on which passions run very high (and still is). This time, we are hoping to generate some really positive ideas and inspire people on a topic that used to be considered a bit dull and abstract to many, but is now starting to gain more attention - economics.

I've admired the work of the New Economics Foundation for a long time, so am very much looking forward to seeing what three ideas Julia Slay will put forward.

The idea that economic growth is what makes people more prosperous and therefore people's lives better has not been challenged enough in the mainstream media. We are very much looking forward to hearing the argument for a successful economy without growth from Oliver Bettis from the Centre for the Advancement of a Steady State economy.

Dr Helen Borland from Aston Business School has her main research interest in Strategic Business Sustainability, which focuses on how firms can adopt an ecologically sustainable approach to their strategic decision-making, senior management and leadership activities. She will provide the local academic perspective and expertise.

Also, we have David Powell from Friends of the Earth's economics team. His knowledge is integral to how we can campaign on issues such as Feed-in-Tariffs, green investment and the value that is put on the natural environment. He also writes some very readable blog posts on the Friends of the Earth website.

I have also been busy writing articles for local press and blogs on the event. Firstly, was a big piece in the Birmingham Post (whose editor, Alun Thorne is chairing the event for us). Then I wrote a short piece for my local (hyperlocal) blog B31 Voices. I was also asked to contribute a piece for the Chamberlain Files, a new political blog for Birmingham run by former journalists of the Birmingham Post.

Now I have 7 days to wait and see what comes out of this event, but luckily I'm so busy the time should pass very quickly. Bring it on.

Joe Peacock

Places for the Future - let them know what you think.

Next Monday, we won't be having a meeting here at the Warehouse as usual, but will be at the Council House for the Sustainability Forum meeting looking at the Place for the Future planning document.

 You can respond to it online by following this link, but if you want to help give feedback in a room full of other people who are interested in sustainability, you need to register by emailingsustainabilityteam@birmingham.gov.uk

See you there.

Joe Peacock

Sustainability Spring Fair

The council are putting on their annual Spring Fair on March 10th and we'll be there supporting the event as always.

We're not sure why they use quotation marks on the literature around things such as "electric cars" and "organic carrots", or why they used such an odd picture at the top of the second page to illustrate it, but I'm sure these minor details shouldn't detract from an excellent event.
We hope to see lots of people there learning about all the excellent things that are going on around Birmingham. The idea being that they will then be inspired to live more sustainably themselves.
You won't be able to miss it if you're around Victoria Square on March 10th, anyway - see you there.

Joe Peacock

Positive Money is coming to the City of the Future

I am keen for people to grasp what Positive Money is saying; i.e. that banks create almost all of our nation's money supply and that it is a big problem.

Most people seem to think that the government creates our money and that we all deal in it for the things we need for our daily lives. Unfortunately, this is not so.

Almost all the money in circulation apart from the tiny amount that is bank notes and coins is money created by commercial banks when they issue loans. This makes banks the owners of almost all our money and they get to decide where it goes in the economy. They put it into raising the price of houses which hurts people.

Instead, new money should be created in measured amounts, that won't cause inflation, by the Bank of England, as an asset of the nation. Then the Bank of England (I personally think) should give it to the elected government who should spend it on things that help us run a lively export economy and earn our living in the world by doing stuff that actually makes the world better for people; i.e. infrastructure, university and technical education, science, research, product development and power generation research etc.

It is a crucial change that could actually take place to take the power to create money from the banks and give it to public authority i.e. the Bank of England. Then we'd stand a chance of getting on our feet as a nation and having a good influence on the world. There would be good satisfying jobs and a point to getting a good education so as to be useful players in such a great and honourable endeavour.

I'm really glad that Birmingham Friends of the Earth are putting on the "City of the Future" event where ideas like this can be discussed and there will be plenty more on this at our stall on 20th March at the Council House in Birmingham. See you there.


Dick Rogers

Goodbye to an amazing volunteer

Maureen Kirkbright has been volunteering here for over 5 years, but today, sadly, was her last day, as she decided to retire from her role as membership secretary.

She'll be very much missed for her sterling work making sure our financial supporters are kept up to date with what we're doing and making sure they are reminded to send us money when needed.

She was a real pleasure to have around the office and we were very lucky to be one of the charities she chose to give her time to. A genuinely warm-hearted woman, you could always rely on her to turn up smiling no matter how dull the tasks she had to perform were.

Every charity like ours depends on people like Maureen and we hope that she will be back soon to help us celebrate 35 years in our building, The Warehouse, on April 1st along with a lot of the other volunteers who've helped make those 35 years so successful.

Here's to amazing volunteers everywhere - thank you for the last 5 years, Maureen!

If you'd like to sign up as a member, you can do so here and we'll have a new volunteer to process your details soon.

Birmingham Energy Savers consultation

As part of my work as a BFOE volunteer working on the Final Demand campaign, this week I attended a consultation event on delivering the Green Deal in Birmingham, organised by the pioneering Birmingham Energy Savers project. 

In a nutshell, the Green Deal is a new government initiative aimed at reducing people’s energy use, thereby reducing their carbon emissions and alleviating fuel poverty, as well as creating jobs, in one fell swoop.

Through the scheme, people are able to improve the energy efficiency of their homes without having to pay for the costs upfront. Loft- and cavity-wall-insulation and efficient boilers are among the measures that can be taken to reduce energy wastage in the home, which of course reduces energy use. The work is paid for through people’s fuel bills, but with the ‘Golden Rule’ of the Green Deal – that the cost of the retrofit will not be more than the savings made on the bills – a net saving is still made.

Birmingham is the first local authority to be offering the Green Deal. Birmingham Energy Savers (BES) is a city council initiative which offers solar pv installations and energy advice to the people of Birmingham, aiming to reduce the city’s carbon emissions and create local jobs. Amazingly, it is the second largest refurbishment programme in the world!

BES is currently gearing up to start delivering the Green Deal later in the year when it goes live. Already they have conducted pilot tests and been finding partners to work with. Right now they are hammering out the finer details of how the real deal will work – and that is why they organised the consultation event that I went to.

The event was attended by a varied bunch, including housing associations, energy companies, consultants, contractors, renewable energy companies, councillors, business people – and BFOE!

We started with a presentation explaining the project and some of the potential problems it may face – such as the numerous very old properties that don’t meet the required standards. For example, some Victorian houses only have one wall layer, so can’t have cavity wall insulation (as they have no cavity!). I was pleased to hear that extra subsidies may be available for these houses.

We then broke out into three focus groups. BES asked us all for our input on three areas, to feed it into their continuing development of the project. Firstly my group focused on behaviour change – why it’s important, what can be changed and what resources are needed. With a representative of a housing association in our group, we spent some time discussed potential problems of offering the deal to social housing tenants, in particular people questioning why they have to pay for the work themselves – should the housing association not provide them with energy efficient homes in the first place? 

We all acknowledged the need to maintain a dialogue with ‘customers’, providing ongoing support rather than simply going in, doing the work, and then disappearing. This could be done with six-month follow-up consultations. With the installation of solar pv panels that provide free electricity, there is a danger that some people may actually become more frivolous with how they use that electricity. Smart meters – which allow people to clearly see how much energy they are using – may be a good way to engage people with how much energy they are actually using and encourage them to be more careful with it.

Our group then moved on to discuss customer satisfaction. Having work done on your house can be extremely disruptive, and if a house is having a full retrofit the tenant may have to move out of it while the work is being done, so ensuring minimal disruption is a high priority for ensuring customer satisfaction. We suggested that complimentary services such as free storage space may help to make the process smoother.

We agreed that the energy advisor making the initial contact will need to be multiskilled to put the customer at ease, explain the technical details but not present the work as a ‘sale’, as this may be off-putting for some people and even arouse suspicion of the scheme. A national website and hotline will be provided for people to follow up on the initial visit and confirm the project as bona fide and not a scam.

Finally we discussed awareness-raising and engagement. We built upon the previous discussion of potential suspicion, and agreed that clear endorsement by Birmingham City Council and/or central government was required to put people’s minds at ease that the project is for real

I raised the point that in communicating with people about the scheme, the environmental message needs to be as strong as the financial one. For many people it will be the financial incentive that attracts them, but the reason the deal exists is to reduce carbon emissions and that message should not be lost. If it is then a precious opportunity to raise awareness of the direct links between day-to-day behaviour and climate change would be lost. Some people will also be attracted by the environmental incentive too, so there is a need to understand people’s drivers.

I found the consultation interesting and informative, and it was great to be representing BFOE ‘out there’. It felt like a responsibility and a privilege to be championing the green perspective and engaging with people with very different perspectives, such as business, housing and even energy (I was sat next to a man from one of the big six energy companies, who we are currently campaigning against with our Final Demand campaign!). This was both challenging and enjoyable, and felt very necessary.

Kara Moses

City of the Future

Recently we've all been a little miffed about the current economic situation, with a circulating question of:

Can we shift to a healthier economy? If so, what would it look like?

At Birmingham FOE, we are organising an eye-opening event which aims to
capture the current economic debate, discussing what it currently provides for us and identifying the real-life tools which would be required to have a better, more sustainable economy.


I was excited enough about this to volunteer to help organise it.

The Idea:
A panel of four economic experts will each present three ideas that would inspire new hope for young people and their chances
for future employment and a better environment.
…
A second panel of representatives from local  groups, cross-examine the presented cases.
…
Discussion will be opened up to the audience. ← this is your part!

The Date:
Tuesday 20th March 2012 is the time and the place to stop being miffed and start being active!

Pop it in your diaries and I hope to see you there (keep an eye out for details of our amazing panel).

Rachel Tyson

Edit: Registration is now open on our website:  http://www.birminghamfoe.org.uk/other/city-of-the-future

New opportunities to do free cycling activities in Birmingham

I've been asked to help publicise this scheme, which will hopefully get more people cycling. So here is the information from the Sky Ride Birmingham website.

"Be Active by Bike is an exciting new initiative funded by the NHS and delivered by British Cycling which encourages people to start cycling in Birmingham.

 Cycle Hubs have been set up to provide free access to bikes and cycling activities for those who don’t currently cycle. The hubs are perfect if you're new to cycling, or haven’t been on a bike for ages, as they're designed to help beginners gain confidence.


Hubs have been set up at the following locations:
Handsworth Leisure Centre (0121 464 6336)
Court Road Health and Fitness (0121 303 1700)
Nechells Community Sports Centre (0121 464 4373)
Ackers Adventure (07799 454181)
The HUB – Bromford Drive (0121 448 3739)
Ward End Park (07834 517347)

Each hub has 15 adult bikes and includes the following free activities*: led rides, cycle training with qualified Bikeability instructors, community group bike hire.

To access any of these facilities contact your nearest hub. For more information about the scheme, email dawnrahman@britishcycling.org.uk.

*You must have a Be Active leisure card to take part in any activities.

I know Digbeth Residents association were keen to find somewhere local to here for a hub, but hopefully these locations will all be well used and get communities cycling together.
If anyone has cycling events planned, please let us know and if you want to help us launch more bike trains this year, also get in touch.

Joe Peacock

Confusion reigns in the planning committee

Well, I've been to a few planning committee meetings in my time, but never anything quite like this.

All the councillors on the committee wanted to save the lovely Island House from demolition. There were some excellent speeches both from those who opposed it from the floor and from councillors, particularly Clancy, Smith and Henley. However, the planning officers seemed determined that there was nothing they could do. The hearing today was only over whether they should have to approve the method of demolition and then what is done afterwards.

There were proposals to say they should agree they need to approve it, but then not approve the conditions for 8 weeks to allow more time for building a case against demolition, but this was another of those cases where the council feared legal costs from a challenge by the developer, so they chickened out.

The biggest saving grace that should play in favour of saving this historic building is a section 106 agreement which the developer signed with the council that they had a duty to retain and renovate it. Follow this link to the consultation or search for 2012/00182/PA on the Birmingham City Council planning website - it is  now taking comments as to whether they should alter this agreement on retaining the building and will close on 6th Feb.

Scaffolding is going up around the building as I type, so who knows what will happen in the next few days. Will they just knock it down and pay whatever fine the council imposes? It probably wouldn't be a huge amount for a developer.

Accountability around planning in this country seems rather muddled and it seems agreements are struck behind closed doors that even democratically elected members are unable to do anything about. I hope that the developers don't just rise roughshod over public opinion and legal agreements, but nothing would shock me.

Joe Peacock

Planning - time for some sense

Tomorrow, the planning committee will hear an application to demolish one of the last buildings to survive the demolition job that has been BCC's "regeneration" of Eastside.

Flattening Island House for no good reason sends out totally the wrong signal. Eastside has been decimated already and it's time that Birmingham learned a lesson that flattening everything and starting again is not always the best way to go about making places better. We really should not allow one of the last buildings of note there to go, too.
The original Big City Plan had Island House as an important building leading on to the new city park, but things now seem to have changed - why? Is it something to do with HS2?
Luckily, people are kicking up a fuss about this one.

Digbeth Residents are up in arms about it, as are various conservation groups and also Occupy Birmingham, who've done the call to arms above. The hearing is at 11am tomorrow and people will be gathering outside the council house to protest. If you are able to come along and show support, that will be really great.
Only those who have registered to do so may speak at the planning committee meeting, but public may attend.

Joe Peacock

Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau helps people to cut their fuel bills in Big Energy Week

As we are well aware through our work on the Final Demand Campaign, rising fuel bills are stretching household finances and people are looking for ways to save money on their energy bills. Supporter of our campaign, Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau, is here to help.

They will give practical advice and help throughout Big Energy Week (16-21 January 2012) to help people cut their fuel bills and get all the financial support they are entitled to. They will also be putting on a special event at the Tyseley bureau on Thursday 19 January (09:30-18:30). Staff will be on hand to help people reduce their energy bills, and will be signposting those who qualify for additional support and home improvements.

Financial Inclusion Manager Florence Betts said: “More and more people are coming to us for advice on how to spend less on their fuel bills. Through Big Energy Week we want to tell people that help is at hand and that there are things they can do to cut their fuel bills.”

Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau is urging people to speak to their energy supplier to check that they’re getting the best deal and are on the cheapest payment method - and to save energy by insulating your home – most energy companies are offering free and/or discounted insulation.

You could save more by switching energy suppliers and an accredited switching website can help you do this.

Plus it’s important to check that you are getting all of the benefits and tax credits that you’re entitled to – as you could be missing out on money that could make it easier to pay your fuel bill.

You can pick up a leaflet with tips and advice on cutting your fuel bills at Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau.

Big Energy Week is an advice campaign coordinated by Citizens Advice to help consumers spend less on heating their home.

A new website – www.bigenergyweek.org.uk - is full of tips on how to cut your energy bills. And as part of Big Energy Week there will be events up and down the country where people can get practical advice on how they could spend less on heating their home.

We are also continuing to gather support for our campaign for a public enquiry into the power and influence of the ‘big six’ energy companies, to assess whether our current system is fit for purpose to deliver the clean, affordable and secure energy we need. You can sign the petition online here or on paper in the reception of our building.

Joe Peacock

Talking Rubbish on the Radio Again

This morning I was asked to go on BBC Radio WM to defend councils' abilities to fine people for not recycling or persistently putting waste in the wrong place after Caroline Spelman said the government were going to put a stop to bin fines.

Up against "Big Brother Watch" (another of those right-wing libertarian organisations set up by Matthew Elliot of Tax Payers' Alliance), I was presented with a view of a world when councils send people out to spy on innocent residents, handing out fixed penalty notices every time a wheelie bin is a couple of inches from where it should be.

Now, going on to defend councils fining people wouldn't be everyone's favourite thing to do, so it was important to make points on cost above all else. Fines are (or certainly should be) a last resort, but the government is just playing to certain parts of the press with this latest announcement.

The real issue should be that we are no longer living in a world where waste management is about disposal. Resources are too valuable for that and prices are going up all the time, so recycling is not just an environmental imperative, but a financial one too. This means that in fiscally stretched times, it is more important than ever that people do recycle and recover value, rather than costing the council more money by chucking everything into the bin to be burnt or buried.

Last week we gave evidence to the scrutiny committee review on this and are very determined that Birmingham should transform services to a "resource recovery system". This means mainly working with communities and companies that can give us the best value and environmental outcomes possible. If fines are removed, it simply gives the wrong message to people about the value of doing the right thing. It should never be near the top of actions to be taken and I think it is very unlikely that it ever is.

People want their streets to be clean and their bills to be lower. Councils need to work together with residents and recycling companies to achieve this, reduce carbon emissions and create jobs.

Joe Peacock

A good time to contact your councillor about waste

Next week Birmingham Friends of the Earth (along with other interested parties) will be giving evidence to the scrutiny committee's Municipal Waste review.

If you wish to read in detail a lot of the work we've done on this, then it's on our website, but I just want you to grab this opportunity to get your councillor to feed in to this review, too. I have been made aware that councillors have today received details of the terms of reference of the review, so will know it is happening and can respond if they wish.

If you are unhappy with the current system, do not want black bags whose contents get strewn everywhere, would rather we moved away from burning rubbish and creating 280 000 tonnes of CO2 per year from the incinerator to a system where we get maximum value for money out of the resources we have, please contact your councillor today and ask them to put this case.

Email us via campaigns@birminghamfoe.org.uk if you want advice on what to say.

Joe Peacock

Minworth - a source of gas for Birmingham

One of the country’s largest sewage works is at Minworth just outside Birmingham.  Birmingham is a consumer of energy, much of it gas.  Are the two related ?  The answer is yes: sewage processing can create methane gas.

An encouraging story from 2011 was an award to CNG Services for Didcot Biomethane to Grid.  The achievement that is now a success at the Oxfordshire town of Didcot, better known for its power station cooling towers, is that biomethane is now being injected into the UK gas grid.

 

Before this project, Didcot was flaring its biogas.  Now the gas is cleaned, upgraded, and used.  Could Minworth’s managers, Severn Trent Water, consider something like this ?

 

Comments on this blog are welcome

 

John Hall

First Event for Young FoE in Birmingham

Last Saturday Young Friends of the Earth Midlands (people aged 18-30 involved in FoE) met for its first time ever. For our first action we decided to dress up like reps from the big six energy companies to thank our faithful customers for their ongoing support, “even though your annual bill has gone up by an average of £500 our shareholders annual payment has increased by 150%..... so every cloud.”

Considering this was the first time the group had done anything, the turnout was excellent. People came from throughout the Midlands (with one notable exception who came from Leeds) to inform people about the Friends of the Earth 'Final Demand' campaign. While for the most part people understood the irony intended in the message, several people did lecture me about the evils of their energy provider and in one instance that I should be ashamed of myself! This just helped to bring home how fed up people are with the 'big six' and how urgently an enquiry into them is needed.

You can watch the following You-tube clip for a brief snippet of the day.

All things considered, I felt that it was a success and I am particularly grateful for those who took part on the day, I just hope the group can continue to flourish into the new year.

If you wish to get involved with Young FoE, please get in touch via campaigns@birminghamfoe.org.uk, so together we can make our second event just as successful as the first.

Richard Sagar  

Birmingham's 150-year-old recycling centre

Yesterday, I was allowed to attend a visit to the paper mill run by Smurfit Kappa along with members of the scrutiny committee of Birmingham City Council. Beforehand, they visited the incinerator in Tyseley (to which I was not allowed to go on the behest of Veolia - wonder why).

As the council delegation was substantially delayed at their incinerator visit, I was able to ask quite a few questions before they got there and found the hosts very obliging and willing to talk about a range of environmental subjects. Mostly, though they were proud to be in this place where recycling has been taking place for about 150 years (there will apparently be some sort of celebration of this next year).

It turns out that they are quite happy with the current system of how paper and card is collected in boxes for kerbside collection, so long as it's not mixed with other recyclable materials (glass, tins plastic). They are happy to take all types of paper and cardboard and it all gets turned into one type of material (the outer layer on cardboard boxes, which you can see here on massive rolls.

I'd never been to a recycling plant before, so to see the scale of it was quite impressive. I realise that there are economies of scale from collecting all types of paper together, but it does seem a bit of a shame that better quality paper all gets turned into the lower grade stuff for cardboard boxes. Is there nowhere in Birmingham that makes recycled office or toilet paper? How far does that have to travel?

We are continuing our work to prepare evidence to give to the committee for the Municipal Waste Review when we want to propose a transformation of what's done in Birmingham and move to a resource recovery economy rather than a waste disposal system. See the articles on our website for more information.

Joe Peacock

New Supermarkets vs. Unemployment

Unemployment in Birmingham is a huge problem. As Paul Dale, Public Affairs Editor of The Birmingham Post, recently said on twitter "Unemployment rate in Brum 12.9 per cent. A human tragedy, and a disgrace."

And he’s not wrong. In the West Midlands alone, unemployment rose by 8,000 (to a total 234,000 people) between June and August this year. (http://tinyurl.com/62peuoz)

Therefore, the fact that the majority of the newly proposed supermarkets are claiming that they will be able to provide thousands of jobs has been a major argument in favour of them. In fact, when looking into their potential development, it is impossible to avoid seeing the huge numbers of jobs they claim they will be offering, pulling people out of unemployment. (See this link for an example - http://tinyurl.com/6hpsxkf)
However, a study has shown that supermarket creation was proven to actually decrease employment. The study, (found here http://tinyurl.com/6ex7m6z), cites Association of Convenience Stores Chief Executive, James Lowman, explaining how “we know all too well the damage that can be done to high streets if the wrong supermarket is built in the wrong place. Local businesses often have to cut staff and some even are forced to close as a result of a new development nearby.” Therefore, the number of opportunities offered by supermarkets is completely negated by the amount of jobs lost when other businesses are overwhelmed.

Considering how big an issue unemployment is currently in Birmingham, the seemingly endless newly proposals of supermarkets/supermarket extensions the result could be catastrophic. More unemployment is absolutely the last thing we want.

Power To The People? Unlikely.

On Monday 3^rd October, Birmingham City Council/Birmingham Environmental Partnership held a Sustainability Forum at the Council House from 6pm to 8.45pm. The theme of the evening was: “The Future of Our Streets?”. Rather than finding answers or solutions however, we were left asking a number of questions.

Background:

A number of groups turned up by 5.30pm, some of which set up stalls (among those present were Grease Lightening/CSV environment, Localise West Midlands, local allotment plotholders, West Midlands police, the Co-operative Society, Smurfitt Kappa, councillors, Sustainable Moseley); people mingled over soup until around 6.30pm (very nice, thank you BCC); and then we all withdrew to the other side of the room for presentations on waste, renewables, food security and transport.

David Bull from BCC took on transport, Kevin Mitchell talked about the forthcoming Municipal Waste Review and related issues, John Boyle from the WM Co-op covered food security, and Phil Beardmore from Localise WM gave an in-depth presentation on anaerobic digesters.

We then got to discuss these issues and made posters expressing our views and ideas on how to make Birmingham more sustainable. The forum itself was billed as an opportunity to “make a real difference by voicing your views” and this is where I am somewhat unconvinced, despite the many positive things to come out of it.

On the plus side:

+ It certainly was a good opportunity to network. The Council clearly caters for that very well.

+ The speakers themselves were for the most part clear, articulate and informative during their presentations, and certainly provided us with some good anecdotes.

+ Importantly, it was a demonstration of the Council's willingness to engage with, and listen to the ideas of, different groups in society.

On the negative side;

- It would have been nice, however, to have a more diverse, representative picture/take on the current situation and best-fit practices in the presentations. The speakers were either speaking for their department of the council or for other organisations, so it seemed we were talked at, rather than engaged with. Also, they didn't really seem to stick to the topic if there was one (the cooperative may be a good organisation, but we heard very little about food security).

- There wasn't nearly as much time as we would have liked to discuss the issues and even get further information. “Q&;A” with the panel consisted of a couple of minutes of answering 2 questions, most of which were only superficially covered or dodged completely. It was like watching David Beckham in that press conference after the allegations about Rebecca Loos. Except that this perhaps was slightly less glamorous.

- The feedback time (moment to 'make a difference') was less than an hour, regrettably, meaning people didn't have a chance to go into much detail, have a truly meaningful debate, and give considered, innovative, original responses. The responses that were given, were recorded, but we are not sure what will be done with it. I contacted the forum's organiser, Lorraine Cookson, for information about how our input would be used, whether we would get any feedback from the Council and where I could get access to copies of the four presentations given. I have yet to receive a reply, but local organisations such as ours and the others represented last week have a unique perspective on how things are on the ground, what work needs to be done to change people's behaviour and how best to go about doing it. They can give vital insight into how to make Birmingham more sustainable in a real, practical sense; some council decisions and plans, whilst good on paper, might be ineffective, inappropriate or impracticable in reality. Listening to the experiences and suggestions of grassroots organisations brings the Council closer to the real world, so we hope there will be reporting on what they do with the feedback from the forum, or they will struggle to attract people to come along in future.

To sum up then, my suggestions are that there should be some kind of formal record of our input, which is distributed among participants; information should be given to us on specific upcoming projects (and who is involved in them), planning- and decision-making dates and outcomes, and contact details for the main policy-making groups or individuals. That way we can assess the democratic process and monitor progress.

In order for these events not just to be considered talking shops that give the impression that the council is listening to our opinions, they should be more focussed and the aims and methods of achieving these aims be made clearer. Then it would be a really worthwhile exercise, which would hopefully result in a larger audience, too.

>>>>>>>>>>>  THIS IS AN EDITED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE I WROTE.  The original was edited by Joe Peacock and included comments on Andrew Mitchell.  I cannot say for sure which bits I wrote and what has been changed, but would like the record to show and for people to know that this is not entirely my work and not the original work.
Gergana (4th October 2012)

Reasons to join a Bike Train #4

Boredom

Do you find that the days all look alike? Joining the bike train will not only improve your mood and stave off depression, it is a great way of getting to know your colleagues better and meeting new people! The bike trains event brings together people from all over Birmingham but also people from your area. It's easy to meet like-minded people and potentially find someone you could regularly go cycling with. Cycling is an incredibly sociable activity, and one you can get a lot out of, although if you want some time to yourself, it's easy to just focus on your surroundings and take in the excitement!

Organisation is the key...

Another thing is that instead of losing your free time through travelling by car or train, and going separately to the gym, you could neatly combine the two (thus saving time AND money!). Cycling on a regular basis gets you the exercise your body needs in order to stay youthful and alert. More likely than not, you'll find you'll also save time and money through not having to go to the doctor or chemist's; cyclists are definitely less likely to be struck down by illness, research has shown.

Did you know...? A study by academics at the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands has found that the health and other benefits associated with cycling outweigh the potential risks such as being involved in a road traffic accident or exposure to air pollution.

Don't forget too, that you would be able to interact with your environment and experience Birmingham in a completely different way: seeing buildings, trees, sky, other people and shops up close and colourful. The benefits of stimulating both your mind and body in this way are immense. Cyclists frequently talk about the feeling of freedom, the energy boost it gives you, the feeling of being in the fresh air and seeing places you normally wouldn't when driving. Joining one of the bike trains would give you the chance to experience this for yourself and test out whether it could work for you on a day-to-day basis.

You as a person become far more interesting, perceptive and fulfilled, because you are constantly being stimulated in a positive way. (Of course, cycling isn't the only activity that can make you 'interesting', but it certainly is fun and easy to integrate into your everyday life!) There's a good reason people as diverse as Matt Damon, Albert Einstein, Kylie Minogue, Brad Pitt are (or were) into it.

Or, as a group of cyclists from Lancaster put it when asked the question “What's the best thing about cycling?" for a survey:

“Well, by nature I’m a couch potato. By making cycling my normal way of getting around I at least get some exercise in a normal day. Furthermore I like the way getting that exercise is integrated into something else I have to do anyway (getting to work) and then finally it’s just a fun thing to do in its own right. It feels good.”

“Waving at the motorists stuck on the Skerton Bridge! Also keeping fit and feeling full of energy.”

“Feeling of freedom.”

Exercise whilst commuting. Racing down a hillside.

Feeling of freedom. Keeps me fit.

Lots of things. I enjoy the fresh air and exercise and knowing that it is good for the environment

“Beautiful views.”

Reasons to join a bike train #3

“A penny saved is a penny earned”, Benjamin Franklin said. It's almost as if he was speaking with the knowledge that petrol prices have reached an incredible £1.45 per litre in some parts of Birmingham. Cycling on the other hand is environmentally friendly, keeps you healthy and is absolutely FREE... Read on for all the financial reasons why you should join us on 22^nd September and make cycling part of your everyday routine.

• If you are currently a car driver, cycling to work would save you £5 per day for a five-mile journey. If you do it regularly, that's £25 a week that you could spend on language classes, re-decorating the house, or a train trip to somewhere exciting... It's worth exploring all the possibilities and thinking big.
• Doing the Banners Gate to Victoria Square commute could save you a whopping £40 a week (£160 a month); going from Quinton to town and back on a daily basis would save you about £1,222 a year! Think of all the things that money would cover: Bills. Taking your family out for a meal every month. You could even get a cleaner or gardener to help you around the house or earn yourself a weekend at a luxury eco-hotel.
• Train and bus commuters: switching to cycling would save you a minimum of £30 a month (that's £360 a year) in travel passes.
• Joining a Bike Train would give you the opportunity to see what cycling to work would be like and to see just how enjoyable and easy it is. You could then make the decision whether or not you want to make it a regular feature in your day!
• At a time when so many people are bemoaning the state of the economy, the grey skies/anti-social behaviour, and the approach of GMT, you could make a resolution to get fit, put a bit of extra money in your pocket and get to know your colleagues/meet new people. All of these things will put a smile on your face!
  By cycling to work, you could put that aside and focus instead on getting fit, meeting new people and putting a bit of extra money in your pocket in time for Christmas. At the very least, by joining your local Bike Train you could have a fun day out and meet new people (maybe even find a cycle buddy for every day!). Why wait for the New Year to make positive resolutions and change your life around? If you swap driving for cycling, you could easily save £200 that could go towards Christmas presents or a meal with your family for example.

"Money will come when you are doing the right thing." - Mike Phillips